“You’re comparing me to Charles Manson?”
“He was manipulative. Persuasive. Tricked women with ease. The correlations are there. When our sister finally finds strength to break free of you, she will return to Russia, and we will point at you and laugh. Then we will eat you. What you say to that?”
“What else can I say except, ‘Grow the fuck up?’”
Isaak moved toward James and, quite typically, Valentina turned on her brother, reprimanding him in Russian.
Absolutely done with this shit, it took effort to stand and talk with his grandparents when what we wanted to do was leave. Once the couple headed to the karaoke to check out the list of songs, he spoke into Bree’s ear. “Can we go now?”
She patted his chest. “We just have to thank a few more people.”
So that was what they did. They were just done talking with a group of their pride mates when a familiar redhead waved them over. The second Bree and Alex approached, Shaya hugged her tight.
“Congrats on your mating,” said the she-wolf.
“And thank you for inviting us,” added Taryn, Mila’s Alpha female.
Studying both Bree and Alex, Shaya smiled somewhat dreamily. “You both suit so well. Even though he’s scowling. You okay, Alex?”
He replied with a half-assed grunt.
Bree tossed him a frown. “Don’t be rude.”
Shaya chuckled. “It’s fine, we’re used to it. And, to be fair, Nick’s no more social than Alex is. Are you, big guy?”
But the Alpha wasn’t listening to his mate; he was too busy glaring at Kye, who’d just approached with a few other teens—including Willow and Savannah, who was Riley and Tao’s adopted daughter.
Kye inclined his head at Nick but didn’t lower his eyes or look away. He wasn’t holding Nick’s gaze in a cocky, taunting way. It was more like a “yes, yes, you’re a big, bad Alpha, but I’m also an alpha and I know my own strength” message.
“Dad,” drawled Willow, “stop glaring at Kye.”
Nick frowned at her. “He started it.”
Willow groaned. “God, you can be such a child.”
Alex squeezed Bree’s hip and spoke into her ear. “Seriously, can we leave now?”
“There are still people we haven’t yet thanked for coming,” she replied.
He gave her a droll look. “They know you’re grateful. And unless you want to listen to my grandmother and uncles destroy the karaoke with their version of Kalinka, we should just go.” He gestured to the stage, where the four wolverines were talking with the DJ.
Bree sighed. “Fine.”
Alex started dragging her across the large space. Someone tried to flag them down, calling out his name, but Alex ignored them.
Outside, Bree forced herself not to laugh when her mate sucked in a lungful of fresh air like he’d been trapped in a bunker for years. She was sure she heard him mutter something like, “thank fuck for that.” Then they were walking.
Minutes later, they stepped into her house. No, their house. A house that no longer had to be guarded twenty-four/seven, which she just freaking loved.
A hand snatched her wrist from behind and spun her to face him.
His eyes smoldering and his nostrils flaring, Alex let out a soft growl. “Keep on the shoes. I want everything else off.”
Well. Thinking it would be fun to tease him, she began, “Look, we only just walked through the door, maybe we could wait until—”
“You heard what I said, Bree. I know I’m talking English. Do what I told you to do.”
Damn if that calm, low-pitched, authoritative voice didn’t totally do it for her—something she’d deny if asked. Her blood heating, Bree quickly complied. His eyes followed the path of her hands, drinking in every bit of skin she revealed. “Your turn,” she said, naked.
Shaking his head, he ate up her personal space. “Not yet.” He took her roughly by her hair and snaked his hand around her throat; right on cue, her nipples tightened and her pussy spasmed. “Keep your arms at your sides, Bree. I don’t want you to touch me yet. Got it?”
“Got it.”
He caught her earlobe with his teeth and softly suckled on it. “Do you have any idea how hot it is to know I own this body?” The feel of his warm breath on her ear lifted the hairs on her nape. “You kept it from me.”
“Only for a few hours.”
“Doesn’t matter. I like to have it whenever I want it. Don’t keep it from me again.” He lowered his mouth to hers. And then he ravished it. It was a kiss that promised all sorts of filthy things, and her body roared to life with a need so intense it left her shaken.
He bit her lip. Sucked on her tongue. Then he dove right into the kiss again—going from soft to hard, slow to fast, keeping her off-balance. The fingers he’d knotted in her hair dug into her scalp. The small shot of pleasure/plain went straight to her clit.